Google’s Cloud Print solution will be phasing out at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Chromebooks are quickly gaining ground in the enterprise. This leaves a big opportunity for a scalable printing solution that is up to the task. 

Imagine a serverless printing infrastructure that supports Chromebooks right alongside all other endpoints. That’s what PrinterLogic delivers: a secure, easy-to-manage platform for enterprise Chrome OS printing. In this blog, I’ll break it down for you and explain how it works.

The new PrinterLogic Chrome OS Client Extension is available now and empowers network administrators to centrally manage Direct IP printing for Chrome OS users. This is accomplished the same way they do for Windows, Mac, and Linux workstations. Reliance on cloud-based printing services is over. Print jobs go straight to the printer, keeping them local and secure.  

The Extension is now part of PrinterLogic’s SaaS platform and will appear in the new PrinterLogic Virtual Appliance next month. Because PrinterLogic’s licensing is printer-based and not user-based, there’s no additional cost for deploying the solution to your Chromebook users.

 

Why develop a Chrome OS Extension?

• Google announced its Cloud Print service is being phased out on December 31, 2020. Customers are looking for a new solution.
• Customers told us they don’t want print jobs to go to and from the cloud because of security concerns. PrinterLogic’s new Extension keeps print jobs local.
• Anytime you send a job to the cloud, there’s a hit to bandwidth and performance. PrinterLogic’s direct IP approach mitigates these concerns.
• Cloud print services rely on an internet connection, which can be unreliable. With PrinterLogic, printing works even if the network is down.
• Google supports CUPS printing. However, it’s more challenging to deploy on a large scale and doesn’t allow IT to manage all OS endpoints in one place.

Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) and driverless printing

The new Chrome OS Extension eliminates the need for print servers. Also, it doesn’t rely on Google Cloud Print. Instead, PrinterLogic employs the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) to quickly pull available settings from printers. This feature takes settings and automatically configures them for Chromebook users. 

The new solution uses driverless printing technology to ensure broad printer compatibility. Meanwhile, accessing a printer’s features on-the-fly for the best possible output. When users select a printer, the Extension updates menu options based on that printer’s features. The user picks the options they want, clicks Print, the job renders, and goes directly to the printer. 

There’s no need for an internet connection or a cloud-based service to make printing work.

 

Easy to deploy and use

1. IT deploys the PrinterLogic Chrome OS Extension from a G-Suite account to managed devices. When a user logs in to their device, the Extension installs.
2. Then, the Extension communicates with the PrinterLogic instance. The appropriate set of printers are set up and configured. 
3. Printers deploy to Chrome OS devices based on AD users/groups, Google ID users/groups, endpoint IP address, Chromebook serial number, or Chromebook asset ID. 
4. When it’s time to print, the user selects the desired printer from the native Chrome OS printing screen. Then, and the print job is sent via direct IP to the printer. Metadata about the print job goes to PrinterLogic for reporting and auditing.

More details about how the Extension works are available in our Admin Guide.

 

PrinterLogic’s rich feature set

PrinterLogic’s features work the same for Chrome OS endpoints as any other OS. For example, devices running Windows, macOS, and Linux. Here are just a few examples:

• Reporting and SNMP alerts. Organizations can see who is printing how much to aid with cost reduction. Proactive alerts give IT a heads-up on printer outages. This helps IT address issues before they affect user productivity.
• VDI printing. PrinterLogic works with Citrix, VMWare, and Windows Virtual Desktop. This allows IT teams to leverage existing front-end printing infrastructure, compress print jobs using standard VDI protocols. IT can also auto-deploy printers for session printing.
• Secure-release printing. The user prints, but the job waits on the endpoint until the user goes to the printer to authenticate. This helps reduce abandoned print jobs, keeping confidential information away from prying eyes.

Migrate from Google Cloud Print

PrinterLogic’s Chrome OS Client Extension offers a simple, secure, scalable printing solution for Chrome OS devices. As such, it provides a straightforward migration path for organizations migrating from Google’s Cloud Print. 

The new PrinterLogic Extension makes it easier for organizations to embrace Chromebooks as a secure, cost-effective workstation by providing centralized printing management in mixed OS environments, keeping print jobs local, and supporting all of PrinterLogic’s advanced printing features. 

The Chrome OS Client Extension is free of charge with a PrinterLogic SaaS subscription. Why not check it out? Request a free trial setup of PrinterLogic SaaS today.

What does your corporate printing environment look like? Do you have a lot of different printers? Are they spread out over many locations? Maybe you have print servers too.

Here’s the good news. Your print environment isn’t unique. Many companies have a big mix of print hardware.

But not all the news is good. Diverse hardware can lead to problems. The variety is hard to support. For instance, more printer models leads to more printer drivers. That gives IT more to manage.

As a result, corporate printing can get messy. And it can also be more expensive.

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can make the problem even worse.

VDI environments are perfect for many companies. Especially if they have remote or mobile employees. It’s a win–win for both IT and end users. Why? Because it makes computing easier. Everyone gets to be more flexible.

However, virtual desktop printing can be tricky. Local printers aren’t always recognized. So companies turn to VDI printing solutions. But those solutions often force them to use print servers.

In other words, VDI adds more moving parts. Even though it’s supposed to make things simpler.

 

A VDI printing solution that eliminates print servers

PrinterLogic changes that. With PrinterLogic, VDI and corporate printing can stop working against each other. Instead they can start working together.

Our serverless printing infrastructure is different from other VDI printing solutions. Here are some key ways:

• PrinterLogic doesn’t try to replace VDI printing. It improves the functionality that’s already there.
• It combines centralized management with direct-IP printing. That’s how PrinterLogic is able to eliminate print servers.
• PrinterLogic is all about ease of use. For example, it’s easy for users to install printers by themselves. And it’s easy for IT to manage.

 

Case in point: RC Willey

RC Willey is a large home-furnishings retailer. The company started in Utah in 1950. Later it expanded to several states. Its IT environment is mostly thin clients. It also has heavy corporate printing demands. Stores need to print invoices and reports every day.

After years of frustration, RC Willey chose PrinterLogic as its VDI printing solution. The IT department migrated the printing environment in under two hours. Furthermore, they now enjoy these benefits:

• Better print management. The IT team is saving 80 hours per driver change.
• No “ghost” printers. Old printers used to build up on the thin clients. Now IT can quickly clear and replace old printers.
• Easy location-based printing. PrinterLogic can deploy printers based on IP addresses. End users get local printers automatically.

The company also supported some users with a centralized print server. PrinterLogic made it possible for them to eliminate it. By eliminating print servers, you save more than just money. You also save time and headache.

Check out the full case study here.

 

PrinterLogic: A solution for everyone

Like most print environments, RC Willey’s case isn’t unique. They had many of the same corporate printing issues as everyone else. VDI just added to the challenge.

PrinterLogic is a single printing solution to all those problems.

For cloud-first companies, it’s available as a SaaS version. It’s also available as a Virtual Appliance. Both versions are great VDI printing solutions. Above all, both versions make life easier on end users and admins.